The Origin of Species
by Citizenjess
Summary: Charles meets the brilliant geneticist, Erik Lehnsherr, during an otherwise run-of-the-mill internship, and his world turns upside down.


Have been talking a bunch with confusedkayt over at LJ about Charles' origin story in "Evolution." I'm unconfident in my general genetics know-how to write a fully fleshed out story about Charles the Nubile, Young, Bright-Eyed Grad Student meeting a certain Erik Lehnsherr and them simultaneously realizing that they both have Secret Mutant Powers, so here is something that at least hints at as much.

Summary: Charles meets the brilliant geneticist, Erik Lehnsherr, during an otherwise run-of-the-mill internship, and his world turns upside down. Written using the fourth prompt table (unofficially, 'cause I'm a jerk) over at 1fandom. Warning: Flagrant semi-colon abuse (to actually keep this at only 50 sentences, natch); mentions of infidelity (contains both Erik/Charles and Charles/Gabrielle).

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><p><strong>The Origin of Species<strong>

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><p>01. Step: He steps into the interim of the laboratory that first day, filled with hope and curiosity, a love for science, and a thirst for the knowledge of who (and what) he really is.<p>

02. Squeeze: The man in charge has incredible blue eyes that rake over him effectively before he holds out a hand for Charles to squeeze; "Erik Lehnsherr," he murmurs, and there's a soft accent that transfixes Charles, "but you can call me Erik."

03. Dirt: "And this lovely specimen of womanhood," Erik says jovially, gesturing to the slight, blonde woman who draws almost reluctantly closer when bade to do so, "is Ms. Raven Darkholme; her job is to be my assistant, but she gets paid equally well to spread gossip and officiate rumors about my work, of course."

04. Late: Everything runs late that first afternoon, but Charles quickly decides that he's never felt more invigorated in his life, and has to force himself to settle down and rest several hours later so he won't be dead in class the next morning.

05. Money: He's not sure where the funding for Erik's work comes from, but he tactfully avoids discussing his family's own innate wealth, not wanting to encourage Raven's gossip train - which, as Erik hinted, is considerably well-oiled - because he knows how easily the mere mention of money can change relationships.

06. Aid: He's stupidly transfixed, watching Erik meticulously measure liquids in test tubes one day, and doesn't realize that Raven is right behind him until he steps back into her; "careful," Erik says smoothly, watching them detangle themselves with vague concern, and Charles flushes, humiliated.

07. Myth: "I don't believe the existence of mutantkind is mere scientific myth, my friend, but rather, the future"; Erik's words prickle Charles' ears, but not more so than the steely, dulcet tones of his voice as he utters them.

08. Piece: The first piece of the puzzle that things here aren't precisely what they seem on the surface falls into place when Charles walks in on Raven brushing her eyes with her shirt sleeve; "he goes too far sometimes," she tells him tearily, and then he's left alone, staring at the space she just vacated and blinking slowly.

09. Child: Charles has his first dream/vision of a young, blue-skinned woman, sobbing as she runs down a tree-lined path out of what seems to be a dilapidated castle, carrying a bundle that he can only assume is a child, due to its squalling; a caped figure looms behind her, floating, and for some reason, the scene seems strangely familiar to him.

10. Confess: It's not a confession, per se, as much as it is Charles being in the wrong place when Erik decides to let loose; the (metal) tray floats effortlessly in the air before him, and he's plucking a slim, glass tube from it when his head whips around, his mouth hanging open suddenly when he hears a small noise: "Charles," he intones in shock, and Charles doesn't know what to say.

11. Trick: "It's not a trick," Erik finally tells him, and Charles knows that it will change everything when he replies telepathically, 'I have tricks of my own.'

12. Out: Erik's face is stunned, and then his mouth slowly curves into a smile; Charles removes his fingers from his temple, and tilts his head for Erik's searching kiss.

13. Best: The best thing about the mutual realization that they're mutants is that there is no shortage of conversations to have, of theories to test and explore; there is no worst part, or so Charles thinks.

14. Mother: She corners him at his car one night, her eyes furious, and then they're yellow, and Charles realizes that Raven is the woman from his dream; "I was a mother, once," she hisses in his ear, "but Erik destroyed that," and Charles sits in the driver's seat staring at the dashboard clock for several minutes before he feels like he can get himself home safely.

15. Book: "I think I might do my thesis on the X-gene," he tells Erik over dinner (Erik, it turns out, is a splendid cook); the older man's face flushes with pleasure, and Charles looks down happily at his plate.

16. Victim: He doesn't like to think of humans as the mutant's natural enemy, of himself as the aggressor, but Erik assures him that he's been a victim before, and that this is still the natural order of things.

17. Power: "I want to see what things you can do with your mind," Erik murmurs to him one night; when Charles shows him, Erik pins him to the bed afterwards, mouthing his neck fiercely, Charles' rare show of force a heady aphrodisiac.

18. Redeem: Erik may have made mistakes in the past, Charles thinks to himself; he may have overstepped some ethical boundaries, but he's learned his lesson now, and he won't hurt anybody ever again.

19. Bleak: The secret laboratory is dank and dark, and Charles feels bile rise in his throat as Erik frowns at him, his expression bleak; "I'm sorry, my friend, but if this is the path you've taken, then I'm afraid I cannot follow," Charles tells him, and Erik turns away.

20. Shrapnel: Raven surprises them both in her natural blue form, the gun she's holding - "plastic," she tells them with a grim smile - aimed at Erik's chest; when the deflected bullet flies into Charles' spine, however, she drops the weapon and clasps her hands to her mouth in horror.

21. Humane: The humane thing to do, Charles thinks as he stares down at his numb legs with a similarly vacant expression on his face, would be to kill him, to put him out of his misery like a lame horse that can no longer work.

22. Anger: He hears that the underground laboratory was destroyed in a fit of rage, Erik going around and smashing every piece of breakable, malleable material he could get his hands on, until only rubble remained.

23. Team: Erik's team is surprised at first when they don't see Charles ever again; one claims he noticed a young, floppy-haired man in a wheelchair on the college campus they both frequent, and Erik barks that he never wants to hear Charles Xavier discussed in his presence again.

24. Terror: Erik visits him one night as he's holed up at his school's laboratory, plugging away at his thesis; "still trying to save the world with theories," he murmurs, and that's when Charles first meets Magneto.

25. Natural: It's not easy getting used to his newfound paralysis, but slowly, surely, Charles begins to navigate the world anew, and it almost feels natural, even as his heart continues to sit brokenly in his chest.

26. Never: Erik never wanted this for Charles, he confides, and Charles meets his gaze with a lump in his throat; "at the same time, I won't let you keep me from doing what needs to be done," he intones, and Charles drops his eyes.

27. Fidelity: He meets Gabrielle in a lecture hall, and it feels a little like cheating, even though he hasn't even talked to Erik in months, but he asks her on a date anyways.

28. Neglect: He doesn't neglect to tell Gabrielle about his mutation; it's easier to get things out in the open as soon as possible, he tells her, and she seems to appreciate his honesty, if the spontaneous hug she gives him is any indication.

29. Face: Erik's face when he glimpses Charles and Gabrielle in the park is terse; Charles isn't sure why he feels guilty as their gazes meet, but the lump in the pit of his stomach remains even as Erik turns and strides away into the setting sun.

30. Lurk: He feels a familiar presence ebbing through the room the same moment he hears his name being boomed through the loud speaker: "Charles Francis Xavier," the presenter calls, and Charles wheels himself on-stage to shake the Dean's hand and collect his degree.

31. Grow: Their relationship grows, even as Gabrielle remarks ruefully that she thinks Charles might be biting off more than he can chew with his dreams of opening a mutant school, and Charles allows himself to pop the question, even as he thinks it might not last.

32. Skin: Raven's blue skin - she calls herself "Mystique" now, Charles learns - is masked as she disguises herself as a college professor, but her eyes are still cold as she rakes over Charles, and he knows that she knows that he sees through her ruse.

33. Sick: He gets food poisoning and spends the weekend in bed, throwing up and clutching his head, the illness throwing his telepathy off-kilter; eventually, he sends Gabrielle away, fearful that she's already vaguely disgusted by his weakness.

34. Dare: Magneto dares to visit Charles on his sick-bed, his helmet protecting him from Charles' unruly mind in a way that Charles, for the first time, is relieved about.

35. Worth: "This woman must be worth a lot to you," Magneto says idly when Charles tugs a small photo of Gabrielle from his billfold; then he makes Charles chicken soup, and they speak very sparsely for the rest of the evening.

36. Last: It's the last time Charles sees Magneto before his wedding to Gabrielle; "keep it," Magneto tells him when Charles tries to pack up the other man's chess set, and floats the metal pieces into a nearby drawer.

37. Year: A year passes; Charles works, too much, according to Gabrielle, and dreams of mutant assimilation into mainstream human society, and only occasionally thinks of the brilliant, angry man with the bitter blue eyes, but he knows he will never be able to eradicate him completely, mentally or otherwise.

38. Prime: Charles enjoys teaching at the university level, but in his heart, he feels like the prime of his career should be spent educating youth; "I think there are more of us out there, with their powers manifesting early, and they're alone and scared," he tells Gabrielle, and she just sighs.

39. Taste: They have a big fight over Charles' hypothetical muttering about adopting a mutant child, and Charles' heated rejoinder that "you just don't understand because you're not one of us" leaves a bitter taste in his mouth long after Gabrielle has left for the night to stay with her mother.

40. Beyond: He tries to call her repeatedly for the first portion of the evening, and then when he's nearly beyond his first bottle of scotch and fully capable of moving onto a second, he dials another number and convinces Erik to come keep him company.

41. Final: "She won't ever understand, Charles; humans never do, even when the truth is staring them in the face," Erik says, and it's his final utterance before Charles leans in and presses their mouths together.

42. Event: Charles is drunk, but his mind sings with his consent, even as his mouth fixates on Erik's collarbone and his hands fist the older man's ridiculous cape, and eventually, Erik gives in and carries Charles into his own bedroom for the main event.

43. Secure: "Mutants could be safe here," Charles muses, his head pillowed against Erik's bare chest; the other man cards his hand through Charles' thick hair, and Charles smiles, knowing that Erik truly understands.

44. Ring: Gabrielle leaves a note sitting underneath her wedding ring on Charles' dresser, and it's the last time he sees or hears from her until she contacts him out of the blue about his alleged son, and he doesn't recognize her voice.

45. Settle: He doesn't have a chance to settle into bachelorhood before Erik is there, his eyes alight with determination, and Charles lets himself to be wrapped in it, as well, the plans for his and Erik's creation - Cerebro, Erik calls it one day, and the name sticks - coming more fully and boldly to fruition.

46. Energy: Energy pulsates from Cerebro's helmet into his mind and back into the machine, and Charles gasps at the sensations, the power, the sheer thrill of what they're doing, together; then he smells something burning, and his heart palpitates, and he vaguely hears Erik scream as his eyes roll back into his head.

47. Center: Erik's voice centers him again; the other man looks worried, and once Charles realizes that the top of his head has been bandaged, protecting the scorched, now-hairless skin underneath, he appreciates the concern, and they begin again, until Charles is centered in Cerebro, and the mutant finding begins.

48. Ordinary: "The name should be ordinary, innocuous, so as to not arouse suspicions or ire," Charles muses, and they eventually toast over Erik's suggestion of "gifted youngsters."

49. Voice: Before long, the modest mansion on Graymalkin Lane, near-empty for years, is filled with the sights and sounds and occasional accidents of mutant children, and Charles delights in hearing their voices, in seeing the glee on their faces when they realize what they can do.

50. Hang: "Hang in there, Charles, our paths will soon cross again," Erik tells him, and then he's Magneto anew, and Charles can feel him sometimes in Cerebro, the brightest blotch in a sky full of stars; and when Magneto learns to shield himself from Charles' considerable reach, Charles stares warmly around at all that he's accomplished, and hopes, more than anything, that if or when Erik is ready, he knows that Charles' home will always be open to him, as well.


End file.
